Monday, July 25, 2011

You know I love lamb, as evidenced by the various chops, shanks, legs, and shoulders I've featured in the past. These are among the most popular meat recipes on the blog, so it seems many share my love. Here we have a brand new cut to celebrate, the lamb breast.

This is not common in your regular supermarkets. There's an inverse relationship between the size of the parking lot, and the chances you'll find breast of lamb in the meat case. However, a visit to a real butcher (look for lots of tats and facial hair) should be rewarded with some slabs of this bony, fatty, but richly flavored meat.

Since I hadn't cooked this in ages, I decided to play it safe, and use a time-tested Mediterranean-inspired spice rub, and it could not have worked more perfectly. The exotic spices made the rich meat seem even more decadent, all of which was nicely balanced by the vinegar sauce's astringency.

A bright green chimichurri sauce on a well-marbled piece of meat is one of the best things ever, and this dish definitely borrows from that playbook. It's not like you'd want to eat a spoon of the condiment right out of the bowl, but slathered over the glistening meat, it's a thing of beauty.

I hope that if you are a fan of lamb, and you haven't tried lamb breast yet, that you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Looks great. But instead of heating up the kitchen in the summer could you smoke this cut like babyback ribs at 235 deg F for maybe 4 hrs?I would think you could use the same rub sans oil and the same chimichurri style sauce. Maybe a light smoke like apple or pecan?

Chef John, I've come here from your YouTube channel to help support you and your blog. I'm loving your recipes and I watch them late at night whenever I feel hungry but also too lazy to cook. Cooking on a budget is often difficult for university students but I'm using your recipes as inspiration and hope to live and eat happily!

I love lamb but have never had breast of lamb. I saw it at the store and had to get it. I had no idea how to prepare it though. Thank you for this delicious recipe! I was nervous about putting the cinnamon in the rub, but it tasted amazing! The sauce didn't taste that great when I first mixed it together. But once I put it on the meat....wow! It complimented the meat SO well. I am glad I made a special trip to the store just to get the sauce ingredients! Thank you again for this wonderful recipe and video to go along with it!

I love lamb chops but hate the price. I couldn't find any around Xmas for less than $25/lb which is just wrong. I happened upon lamb breast for $2/lb. Yea...$2/lb so I had to buy it to try. It's a VERY fatty cut but so very yummy. It has the great lamb flavor without being overpowering like shanks sometimes are. I love the rub you used but would probably add just a tad bit of cayenne & honey next time. I just did the first part of the recipe tonight and will make the sauce tomorrow if there is ANY of the lamb left. I did roast for nearly 4 hrs as I was trying to get the fat to melt out. Very very rich & decadent considering it's usually a 'throw away' cut of meat. :)

I'm planning to try and add a bit of smoke to this recipe in the barbecue. Should I or should I not brine the breast to make it slightly juicier? Am Planning to use the brine recipe from your pork loin. How long should I brine it for?

I decided on a whim to make this after finding lamb breast on sale after Easter. I found the cut of meat very reasonably priced at about $6/lbs at a major grocery retailer in my area (Kroger) likely because of the holiday.

This dish was amazing! Not a lot of work, but a very decadent result. I intend to make it again for my in-laws and think they will be impressed!

I paired it with a side of roasted baby portabella mushrooms and asperagus hollandaise. Superpurb. Wouldn't change a thing!

I decided on a whim to make this dish after finding lamb breast on sale after the Easter holiday. I found it for the very reasonable price of $6/lbs at a major grocery retailer in my area (Kroger)- I'm guessing it was available for the holiday because I'd never seen it at that grocer before.

The dish turn out wonderful!! I made it for my fiance and I for a special dinner and it was superb. Not a lot of work but a very decadent result.

Man this was so friekin good....unbelievable flavor...hdid some sauteed asparagus and wild rice with a cabernet .... I did do a dallup of mint jelly on the side...sorry john,its the whoopjack in me...lol